ECOwind completes Austrian floating solar farm

• The 24MW project is among the biggest in Europe

ECOwind, a subsidiary of BayWa, together with Austrian power distributor EVN, has become aware a 24MW floating PV plant in Grafenworth, Lower Austria.

The 24.5 MWp project is the 4th biggest floating PV plant in Europe after 3 projects located in the Netherlands, and the biggest of its kind in Austria as well as Central Europe.

The floating PV system in Grafenworth measuring around 14 hectares is built on the water surface in a previous sand as well as crushed rock pit on 2 lakes.

It will certainly generate 26,700 MWh of green power each year as well as will have the ability to provide around 7500 Austrian households.

The project has actually seen rapid growth, with the 45,304 solar modules set up in just 10 weeks total.

Benedikt Ortmann, Global Director of Solar Projects at BayWa, stated: "We are in the decade that matters. As market leader in floating PV, BayWa sees the vital role of this technology in the clean power change, and we are delighted to bring floating PV to a growing number of countries.

" It produces a new feature for otherwise unused water surfaces. With this turnkey floating PV project, we have actually brought incremental improvements to our already advanced systems in the Netherlands.

" Along with EVN and also our Austrian subsidiary ECOwind, we managed to set up the plant in record time-- without compromising on environmental protection. Biodiversity and sustainability are significant considerations for us in all floating PV projects."